The Longer I'm Prime Minister
The Longer I'm Prime Minister

Author: Paul Wells

Publisher: Vintage Canada

Published: 2014-10-14

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 0307361330

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The definitive portrait of Stephen Harper in power by this country's most trenchant, influential and surprising political commentator. Despite a constant barrage of outrage and disbelief from his detractors, Stephen Harper is on his way to becoming one of Canada's most significant prime ministers. He has already been in power longer than Lester B. Pearson and John Diefenbaker. By 2015, and the end of this majority term, he'll have caught up to Brian Mulroney. No matter the ups and downs, the triumphs and the self-inflicted wounds, Harper has been moving to build the Canada he wants--the Canada a significant proportion of Canadian voters want or they wouldn't have elected him three times. As Wells writes, "He could not win elections without widespread support in the land. . . . Which suggests that Harper has what every successful federal leader has needed to survive over a long stretch of time: a superior understanding of Canada." In The Longer I'm Prime Minister, Paul Wells explores just what Harper's understanding of Canada is, and who he speaks for in the national conversation. He explains Harper not only to Harper supporters but also to readers who can't believe he is still Canada's prime minister. In this authoritative, engaging and sometimes deeply critical account of the man, Paul Wells also brings us an illuminating portrait of Canadian democracy: "glorious, a little dented, and free."

The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine

Author: Stephen Clarkson

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2014-05-14

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0774851651

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In The Big Red Machine, astute Liberal observer Stephen Clarkson tells the story of the Liberal Party's performance in the last nine elections, providing essential historical context for each and offering incisive, behind-the-scenes detail about how the party has planned, changed, and executed its successful electoral strategies. Arguing that the Liberal Party has opportunistically straddled the political centre since Sir John A. Macdonald -- leaning left or moving right and as circumstances required -- Clarkson also shows that the party's grip on power is becoming increasingly uncertain, having lost its appeal not just in the West, but now in Qu�bec. Its campaigns now reflect the splintering of the party system and the integration of Canada into the global economy.

Grit
Grit

Author: Greg Donaghy

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2015-05-01

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0774829141

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“I am not afraid to be called a politician,” declared Paul Martin Sr., defending his life’s work in politics. “Next to preaching the word of God, there is nothing nobler than to serve one’s fellow countrymen in government.” First elected to the House of Commons in 1935, Martin served in the cabinet of four prime ministers and ran for the Liberal Party leadership three times. This book examines his remarkable career as a liberal reformer and politician who tackled the issues of his day with consummate political skill and gritty determination. Cutting a broad swath through the history of twentieth-century Canada, Greg Donaghy uses extensive interviews and untapped archival sources to challenge the prevailing view of Martin as simply an ambitious Windsor ward heeler and party operator. Martin embraced a tolerant politics of compromise and accommodation that sought to unite Canadians in search of a more just and equitable world. Though some mocked his ambition and doubted his progressive politics, his resolute championing of health care and pension rights, new meanings for Canadian citizenship, and internationalism in world affairs would leave an indelible mark on Canada’s political landscape.

Unlikely Insider
Unlikely Insider

Author: Jack Austin

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2023-02-15

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0228016266

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At a time when too many of the world’s political leaders are consolidating power by playing on divisions and stoking fear, Unlikely Insider, a memoir by former federal cabinet minister and senator Jack Austin, comes as a welcome reminder of the value of public service as a force for economic progress, social justice, and nation-building. With both historical perspective and an eye to the future, Austin reflects on events and people whose impacts are still felt, and on the enduring challenges of Canadian life. Moving away from colonial domination of Indigenous Peoples, navigating our pivotal relationship with the United States and engagement with China, the nature and purpose of the Senate: these remain timely concerns, to which Austin has made significant contributions. Sharing insights into policy as well as into the personalities of colleagues and friends, Unlikely Insider paints vignettes of figures from Premier Zhou Enlai to Queen Elizabeth and recounts the author’s travels with Pierre Trudeau after the prime minister’s retirement. As a British Columbian, Austin worked to ensure that his province’s perspectives and interests mattered in Ottawa; as someone who came from a disadvantaged background, he is sensitive to the need to make the country a place of fairness and opportunity for all. Unlikely Insider reminds Canadians that inclusion – regional, social, and demographic – makes our nation both stronger and more just.

Dark Days
Dark Days

Author: Kerry Pither

Publisher: Penguin Books Canada

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

" That's what happened to four Canadian Muslim men accused of terrorist links. One of them, Maher Arar has been fully exonerated by a public commission of inquiry. Now Dark Days chronicles the shocking story of how three other Canadian men experienced similarly devastating ordeals. One of these men, Ahmad El Maati, says that despite everything that's happened, "I always remember that we are the lucky ones. Since 9/11 so many others have just disappeared, or are still in secret prisons, with no right to ask questions. At least we have the right to ask questions about why this happened. At least we might get answers.""--pub. desc.